The New World of Bats
by SweetyKinz
Summary: The Batfamily take an interest in Danny Fenton, a sarcastic teenager at a Gotham Orphanage. Danny finds out the reasoning behind it the hard way. On the journey, he gains a new family, new memories, and new laughs, but things take a turn from worse to deadly. Bruce Wayne 'stole' Danny from the clutches of Vlad Masters, and Vlad wants him back, no matter the cost. [Rewrite of ANWOB]
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

Gotham was a beautiful city.

As Danny observed the scenery before him, he could understand why so many continued to hold onto to it, despite its many flaws. Sitting on the edge of a tall building, legs dangling at least one-hundred feet in the air, was strangely soothing now, doing wonders to calm his budding anger. Skyscrapers stretched on for miles around, an interminable ocean of buildings radiating sparkling lights that swept over the darkness surrounding it.

Nothing was ever still here, and before he could stop it, he found himself comparing Gotham to Amity Park. His hometown couldn't be any more different than the city that he now resided in. Perhaps in a different life, he might have still been sleeping soundly in his own bedroom, curled up in the comfort of his navy-blue astronaut bedspread. He could imagine Jazz busting into his room early in the morning, her smile lighting up her face as she shook him from his slumber…

Danny blinked out of his reverie as a loud honk of a car horn sounded from below, pulling him from his dangerous thoughts. Blue eyes glinted with a deep sadness before closing for a single moment, waiting for the familiar feeling of loss to subside.

He would never get used to how bright everything still was late at night, and he was content to observe the ant-sized people roaming the streets. All the activity and lights took away from the stars that would normally be twinkling by the hundreds back in Amity. This thought brought forth a pang of nostalgia that he elected to ignore, and instead, he focused on breathing in the polluted city air to calm his racing thoughts.

It seemed that, no matter where he went, his past continued to torture him, plaguing him with reminders of the life that he once knew.

A cold breeze gently blew past, shifting strands of raven hair across his face and soothing his growing troubles. Time ticked on slowly, but Danny reasoned with himself that he could not stay forever. This only served as a temporary escape from the adoption center—a momentary release from the stresses that it brought.

Finally, he sighed and stood up. He reached his arms out and stretched, reveling in the satisfying pull of his formerly lax muscles. Simultaneously, the bright ring of light that he was so accustomed to engulfed his torso, separating and transforming his image into that of someone else entirely. His casual attire—a simple pair of shorts and a ratty, cotton T-shirt—turned into a form-fitting black HAZMAT, his symbol displayed proudly on his chest. Shaking his now silver hair from his emerald eyes, Phantom's lips twitched into a slight grin and he walked forward slowly, one step after another, until the very tips of his toes stood precariously at the edge of the rooftop.

With one final breath, he let himself fall.

* * *

"Where is he?"

The angry demand, accompanied by brightness as light filled the room, immediately stirred several children and teenagers from their sleep. Many of them sat up in confusion, squinting blearily at the figure that stood by the open door as their eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden change.

"What? Where's who?" one child, who's bed sat closest to the door, murmured, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. His voice was quiet and thick with sleep, but any semblance of fatigue completely vanished then as the adoption worker turned her harsh stare onto him.

"Daniel Fenton. Why isn't he in bed? I swear, if none of you insolent children speak up _now_ , I will make all of you scrub these halls clean with your own toothbrushes."

"Well, that's a bit drastic, considering I only got up to use the bathroom."

Turning to face the sudden voice, her beady eyes landed on Danny casually leaning against the wall of the hallway leading into the bedroom. He stared back challengingly, a mocking glint in his gaze that caused the adoption worker's anger to rise. "You're not supposed to be out of bed past curfew," she snapped.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Hawkes. Would you have preferred it if I peed in the corner?" Danny said, straight-faced. Despite his completely serious expression and dry tone of voice, it was obvious that he was making fun of her.

Her cheeks flushed a pale red and she took in a deep breath to control her temper, eventually managing to grit out, "please come to my office at once."

"But I thought I wasn't allowed out after curfew."

"Just do as I say!"

She stepped out into the hall, slamming the door shut behind her, and walked away furiously. Danny rolled his eyes at her dramatics and followed, catching up quickly so that he stood by her side. She stayed completely silent, her heels clicking against the floor being the only sound that echoed down the otherwise quiet corridor.

Although the adoption center held a substantial number of minors, the building itself was quite small. On the outside, it looked like an ordinary two-story home, but years of neglect had turned it into a run-down building that was practically falling apart at the seams. The walls, covered with gangly vines and dirt, seemed as if they would crumble in at any minute, a sunken in roof lying precariously above it. It was almost as if the state had found an old, abandoned home and claimed it as their own. Danny wouldn't have put it passed them.

Each room that lined the hallway contained nothing but rows of beds. The workers liked to call this sleeping quarters the North Wing, a formal title that they most likely used to come across as more official. Each section of the house was labeled either North, South, East, or West, and right now, Danny was being led to the South Wing, where all the offices were held.

They reached her own quickly, and Danny heaved a sigh as he followed her inside.

"Let me guess; you want me to wash the dishes for a month straight. Or, I know, scrub the walls with my toothbrush until they _sparkle_ ," he said, assuming the reason she had brought him here was to punish him for being out of bed.

But as she ignored his words and sat down behind her desk, he finally noticed the file that sat on top of it. It was his own, and, now thoroughly confused, he stayed silent, waiting for Ms. Hawkes to speak.

"That is not the reason I brought you here, Mr. Fenton. For that matter, I'm afraid you will be unable to do _any_ chores from this day forward," she said, a permanent frown creasing her face. Judging by her expression, something had happened that she was quite unhappy with.

"Um, okay…" Danny trailed off, suddenly unsure. He didn't know what to say. His heart surged with temporary hope at her words, but he pushed it down as soon as it had appeared. The context of her words seemed so sudden, because, first of all, no had come to see him recently, and, second of all, no sane person would ever adopt some delinquent teenager like him without at least a meeting first.

"Someone is coming to pick you up tomorrow morning. A man is looking to adopt you, and has requested that you come stay at his home."

"Yeah, alright, I'll just go pack my thing and be out of your hair then," he said sarcastically, an undertone of bitterness coating his words. "Don't bother giving me a suitcase, my thing isn't that heavy."

"Daniel, don't be ridiculous. Stop saying 'my thing'; I like to think that we've provided you with a bit more than that."

"You're right, I'm so sorry," Danny drawled, moving to stand by the doorway. "I'm going to go pack my thing _plus_ whatever else you seem to think you've given me. Is that better?"

She didn't respond and only looked at him with the most unamused stare that he had ever seen.

His hand slowly slid off the doorknob.

"Are you- Are you being serious?"

"Quite serious, Mr. Fenton. I've been told that you are to leave at 8 o'clock sharp."

"...and you're only telling me this _now_? Who the fuck even wants to adopt me?"

Ms. Hawkes was quiet for a long moment before she let out a sigh. An unpleasant grimace twisted her features, as if admitting the answer physically pained her. An eternity seemed to pass before she spoke.

"Bruce Wayne."

* * *

The next morning, Danny woke up at exactly 7 o'clock.

He felt no excitement, joy, or anything of the sort. The children around him—all orphans, without a home to call their own—would have been _delighted_ to be in Danny's position. All of them, most likely, had at least _some_ longing desire to be adopted and taken away from the soulless orphanage. But right now, all Danny wanted to do was sleep forever, not wanting to face what was to come. He couldn't bring himself to care that in just one hour, he would be taken away, hauled off to some mansion on the outskirts of town.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Danny was tempted to just run away before he was to be picked up so that he could live on the streets or something, but even he wasn't _that_ stupid. Anybody with common sense could reason that living in a billionaire's home was way better than trying to survive with, quite literally, nothing to your name.

Reluctant decision made, he went downstairs half an hour later, showered, dressed, and dragging a suitcase behind him. It banged against the hardwood staircase while he walked, Danny not bothering to lift it like any sane person would have because he didn't care about the stairs, suitcase, or anybody being woken up by the loud bangs. Talk about triple-threat.

After stealing some other kid's box of Lucky Charms and downing the last of it into a bowl, he settled comfortably at the kitchen table, line of vision directly focused on the time displayed above the oven in digital green letters.

 _7:43_

Seventeen minutes. Seventeen minutes before some jackass of a stranger waltzed into the orphanage to sweep Danny of his feet for his happily ever after. That is, if happily ever after meant literal death by a wrecking ball of 'nope' crashing into him. And seeing as Bruce Wayne was a billionaire, Danny figured that he would be on time.

Well, that's what Danny expected, at least.

However, the man that had "summoned him" arrived just about fifteen minutes early, and he definitely wasn't a tall, middle-aged billionaire that did not look his age, but rather, a slim, balding old man with a head of gray hair and a mustache to boot.

The old man smiled at Danny in one of the most genuine ways that he had ever seen, and had he not been so surprised by it, he probably would have offered a hesitant one in return. But instead, a slight grimace graced his features, and the old man, not deterred at all by his unfriendly welcome, did not lose the warmth in his gaze.

Standing at his side, Ms. Hawkes narrowed her eyes at him, a silent warning to play nice and not say anything stupid. She should have known him better than that.

"What the hell is this? The rich bastard couldn't even bother to show up?"

* * *

 **Welp, this is the first official chapter of the rewritten version of A New World of Bats, called "The New World of Bats" because they couldn't have the same title and I'm an uncreative person. Anyways, welcome to my new and returning readers! It's been so long, and I'm honestly really excited for this! I hope this turns out well because the last attempt at writing this was a disaster xD You can see for yourself if you want because I didn't take the story down. (And who knows, maybe one day I'll even finish the old version if I'm feeling up to it).**

 **One thing you should know right off the bat is that I like to keep the readers in the dark about a lot certain plot points (although all of you are very smart and have come up with some amazing guesses) because you will only know what Danny knows! So if Danny doesn't know about the Batboys superhero identities or whether or not they know he's Phantom (just as an example), then it won't be mentioned until he finds out. (I hope that makes sense.)**

 **The cover of this story is amazing fan art for ANWOB drawn by Zecnasylynch, who you can find on DeviantArt at NiBanini.**

 **Thank you guys for sticking with me after so long! I hope you enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

Ms. Hawkes looked just about ready to faint.

"I'm afraid that Master Bruce had a rather important work emergency to handle. He did, however, send his regards. He would have liked nothing more than to be here."

Danny noticed with great amusement that, unlike his adoption worker, the old guy didn't even blink at the remark; although, it was most likely a part of the man's job to maintain professionalism, a trait that Ms. Hawkes clearly lacked. She stared Danny down with an expression akin to a baby that just had its first lemon. He barely spoke a single word and she was already done with him!

For reasons that Danny couldn't _possibly_ comprehend, she seemed keen on stopping him from speaking again. It was a futile effort, considering that they would later be living in the same house. All the same, she still turned towards Mr. Wayne's… advisor? Employee? Whoever he was, the man fell victim to her sugary sweet smile.

"Mr. Pennyworth, may we have a moment in my office please?"

While she had her back to him, Danny started to silently mimic her, sticking out his tongue and scrunching his nose up. It was beyond childish, but the woman was so infuriating that it couldn't be helped. But a few moments after, the old British man noticed Danny's antics. His graying mustache twitched into a small smile. Danny stopped, sending a sheepish grin back.

"Of course," Mr. Pennyworth agreed, but probably only because he wasn't allowed to say no.

The instant the affirmative was said, Ms. Hawkes nodded firmly and walked away without another word to Danny. Her short brown hair, despite stopping just short of her chin, managed to swish behind her as she marched by. The guy, whose last name apparently was Pennyworth, followed the despicable woman. However, instead of ignoring Danny like she did, he gave a soft, reassuring nod.

The sixteen-year old didn't even realize that he needed reassurance until that moment, when the single nod somehow managed to make him feel a bit lighter.

 _Oh god._

He was nervous, wasn't he?

What the hell did he have to be anxious about? Just a few moments ago, he was perfectly content while sitting down, eating Lucky Charms, and calculating the exact minute his adoptee would arrive to haul him off to his new house.

Perfectly content.

Although, his fidgeting said otherwise.

Danny took a deep breath and stood abruptly. It probably wasn't that he was nervous; just tired and anti-social. That must have been it. Whatever the reason, it started to get worse the more that he thought about it, a growing pit of nerves stabbing at his stomach. The stretching silence, for the most part, didn't exactly help.

What did those two even need to talk about?

Staying by himself in the otherwise empty kitchen soon started to make him a bit restless, so, since he had no concept of privacy, Danny put his bowl in the sink (he did have _some_ manners, after all) before wandering down the hall to eavesdrop on their conversation. They probably had to go over paperwork or something equally as boring.

This, as it turns out, was not the case.

"Is Mr. Wayne certain that he even wants to adopt Daniel? To put it lightly, the boy is a huge burden."

Danny almost tripped over air.

It shouldn't have been a surprise. The woman practically loathed children, which was a bitter irony, considering where she worked, but Danny held a special place in her heart. She always did go out of her way to make him the most miserable orphan in the building. This was most likely because he had accidentally called her a buck-toothed cow when they first met.

But still. Even if she hated him as if had murdered the army of cats she probably had at home, trying to convince somebody not to adopt him was a bit much. If anything, she should have been glad he was leaving!

Bitter old wench.

She continued, "I'm sure that a man of his status would not be able to find the time to deal with a kid like him. He couldn't even pick the child up, which is probably the easiest—"

Whatever-his-first-name-was Pennyworth didn't let her finish.

"With all due respect, ma'am… I do not think that is any of your concern. Master Bruce has raised several boys who have grown to become fine, young gentlemen. Your worries are quite unbecoming, I'm afraid."

This was the second time that he had referred to Bruce Wayne as Master. It was peculiar, to say the least. What kind of job in the 21st century would require something like that?

"You don't understand. He's an ungrateful brat! I just thought that Mr. Wayne should know what he's getting himself—"

"I believe I said that is none of your concern. Come to think of it, I find that there are quite a few other rather worrying issues that you might think to draw your focus to instead."

"Such as?"

"A few obvious points come to mind." Despite not being able to see Mr. Pennyworth's face, Danny imagined him staring pointedly at her while speaking. "Now, if that is all, then Daniel and I will be taking our leave. I advise that you do not bother to concern us with your so-called worries in the future."

Five minutes later, Mr. Pennyworth found Danny casually sitting where they had left him, spinning around in the kitchen stool to stay occupied. The man that had looked so stoic since they met _actually_ looked a bit peeved. It was a slight, barely noticeable hint in his expression, which Danny totally didn't know the reason behind. Totally.

Did he look too casual? Not casual enough? Should he start whistling?

"Daniel, allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Alfred Pennyworth, personal butler to the Wayne family."

"Butler, huh? Isn't this a bit out of your job description?

" _Nothing_ is out of my job description, young sir," Alfred said. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Is that even a question? I've been ready since I first got here."

* * *

The car ride to Wayne Manor was the longest twenty minutes of his life.

Conversation was few and far between, so he spent a majority of it staring out the back window, watching the scenery fly by. Countless questions were running through his mind, the most obvious being why he was there, but this was clearly an inappropriate time to ask them. Instead, he awkwardly choked out conversations like:

"Um, so it's really nice outside today."

"There is a ninety-percent chance of a thunderstorm tonight."

"Oh."

Or:

"You're a butler, huh? I had a butler once. He kind of reminds me of you."

"Indeed?"

"Yup. So, you, uh, like… buttling?"

And, his personal favorite:

"Why do you call him "Master" Bruce?"

"It's the proper title for a man in a position such as myself to address him by. As of today, consider yourself as Master Daniel."

"Kinky."

He gave up after that.

Staring out the window proved to be a lot less entertaining, but he used this opportunity to try to discern where in Gotham they were headed. It was useless; the roads and turns all blended into the next, a countless number of forgettable buildings and structures whizzing by in a blur of indistinguishable color.

What he could tell, however, was that with each passing second, they were getting further and further from the crowded bustle of the city. The amount of buildings decreased substantially, starting to become smaller until, eventually, there was nothing around but trees. As the car turned abruptly down a long, narrow road, Danny was able to make out the tall, looming mansion that was Wayne Manor.

It was _huge_.

Was it even okay to call it a house? It looked like a fucking palace.

As they pulled to slow stop in front of the giant fountain that resided in their driveway, Danny knew one thing for certain:

He did _not_ want to go inside anytime soon.

"This place isn't haunted, is it?" he asked when Alfred opened the door for him, stepping to the side to allow him to exit the car.

"I don't believe so, but what do I know? I'm simply a butler."

Danny snorted.

Alfred insisted on carrying Danny's luggage, which he didn't argue on because that thing was heavy as hell, and then just awkwardly trailed behind as the elder effortlessly walked up the flight of the stairs that led to the front door.

Honestly, the building just radiated cold, unfriendly vibes. Danny expected that the inside would reflect that through empty, quiet halls filled with ornate antiques and priceless, untouchable furniture.

He was half right.

As Alfred opened the door, loud arguing immediately bombarded them. What sounded like a death threat echoed down the hall, followed by amused laughter and something crashing to the floor. The butler, unfazed, strode purposefully towards the source, making a gesture for Danny to follow.

He'd rather not.

Unfortunately, there wasn't really a choice in the matter.

* * *

 **Slow start, but I swear to you that it will pick up, and quickly! Also, let's just all pretend that this was posted last Friday and that I'm on schedule. *thumbs up***

 **I feel like my writing style keeps changing somehow. I don't know, man, what even is structure? xD**

 **But anyways, thank you for reading and to the huge response that I received last chapter! All of you are so supportive and it makes me so excited for this rewrite. Like I said, I know this is a slow start so far, so I hope you enjoy anyway :D (Just for curiosity's sake, how many of you guys read the old version?)**

 **Review Replies (RR): (Warning: thousands of "thank you"s and FF style emoji's in store)**

 **TheSilverHunt3r: Aw, thank you! I really appreciate you standing by for so long~!**

 **Glaciaj Flamoj: Thank you~ :D**

 **Bad Ass Poltergeist: I'm glad you like it so far!**

 **Amaxe: All of your guys' excitement basically amplifies mine by like a trillion xD**

 **Poohbearmorris: Same, though~ MCU hype is taking over xD Thank you so much! :D**

 **PeridotGreenHeart: Rebel Danny is the best Danny xD**

 **Foxchick1: Thank you, glad you're enjoying it so far~**

 **Flufflez McSugartop: Me too, fam.**

 **Adrianna Agray: I'm glad you think so! (Since I haven't really written anything in so long, I'm a bit rusty xD)**

 **InkMelody: Thanks! (Hopefully it becomes one xD)**

 **Davidscrazy234: Thank you~ :D**

 **Guest: I'm excited that you're excited! xD**

 **Locky3670: Aw, thanks for reading!**

 **Matt: Your wish may be granted *wiggles eyebrows***

 **Blackkyu: I live off of Danny's attitude xD Glad you're enjoying so far~!**

 **GrammerPolice: Hopefully it stays that way xD Does anything faze Alfred?**

 **Kimera20: Yup~! :D**


End file.
